Rosepetal
by hannahdris
Summary: A Chrestomanci story. Hannah goes to C. Castle with her brother Drew, but is very out of place. Not currently being written, but e-mail me if you want me to continue.
1. Introduction and Disclaimer

I would like to apologize to anyone who may have already started reading this story. My former introduction chapter was written before I knew what the story would look like.  
  
I intended to have certain sections in italics and indented a lot, but apparently, it did not work. One of these sections was also severely "killed," if I do say so myself. It looks as though I did not hit enter through the whole thing. I think I have fixed that, but I will not know for at least another 24 hours. Sorry if anybody has already review on either of these chapters because I am not sure if the reviews will stay or be deleted.  
  
And now, most of my original introduction:  
  
This is a story in which the author has only read the first book of the Chronicles of Chrestomanci. It is helpful to have previously read this document, but not necessary.  
  
For those that have read the book, please take a few things into consideration:  
  
1. This takes place about five or six years after the conclusion of Charmed Life  
  
2. Something happened to Cat and Janet less than one year after the conclusion  
  
3. I try to make my descriptions true to the book; therefore, some will sound familiar  
  
4. You probably can guess what will be revealed in the end  
  
5. This is not supposed to be totally original, so enjoy what you don't know, not what you do  
  
I would like to apologize before hand for any misspellings or grammatical errors. I'm doing the best I can, but nobody's perfect.  
  
Thank you all for reading my story, and PLEASE REVIEW. Even if you don't have a lot to say, it is my one connection to you, the reader. It also helps me to know that there is someone out there, reading my story.  
  
Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy my story: ROSEPETAL  
  
P.S. I'm fighting against the computer to put indents on my paragraphs. It is not working. If anybody knows how to get these indents, please let me know. 


	2. Arrival At Chrestomanci Castle

Chapter One - Arrival At Chrestomanci Castle  
  
The castle loomed threateningly over Hannah. She shuddered, and took a step closer to Drew. He surprised her by taking her hand. This was odd, because he usually dismissed her as unimportant unless he was doing magic, or had a plan. Even then, he sometimes shut her out.  
  
There was an odd tingling feeling in her hand, but it didn't bother Hannah. Drew was a warlock, and a strong one, too. He could do things that would make her do more than tingle, without contact, too.  
  
Hannah shivered. The castle had a creepy look to it, as thought it didn't want her there. She dismissed that as a stupid thought. Castles were inanimate objects; they didn't care who used them.did they?  
  
They didn't enter through the main entrance, but rather, one more to the side, and hidden. It looked more like a servant's entrance than anything else, but Hannah didn't care. She was basically Drew's servant. She cooked and cleaned for him, and didn't think that staying in a castle would make much of a difference. Even if there were cooks and maids, Drew would always find a use for her.  
  
Drew seemed a bit upset about the entrance, but he didn't let it show too much. They entered a nice passageway, along with Mr. Saunders, who had driven them from the train station to the castle. A lady in a nice black dress was there to greet them, but burst into tears when she laid eyes on the two.  
  
Mr. Saunders spoke up. "Andreweli, Hannahlana, welcome to Chrestomanci Castle. This is Miss Bessemer. She is our housekeeper, and I was hoping that she would show you your rooms. But, if she is not willing to."  
  
Miss Bessemer wiped her face with one of her hands. "That's okay, Michael. I'll take them. This way please." She walked off and led the two through various stairs and corridors. Drew looked around, as though trying to absorb in all the sights. Hannah was busy trying to memorize where they were going.  
  
They stopped at one particular hallway that was in the newer section of the hallway. Miss Bessemer opened the door to reveal a blue-themed room. Everything was a light blue, or so it seemed. She pointed to a door in a far corner of the room. "That is your bathroom, over there. You may get yourself settled. A maid will come in an hour or so to settle the minor details."  
  
She led Hannah out the door and down the hallway. They turned into a darker hallway, and Hannah knew that they were entering the older portion of the castle. At the end of the hallway, there was a door. Miss Bessemer opened it, and led Hannah up a long, spiraling staircase. At the top was another door, and through that was a circular room. It was an orangish- yellow color.  
  
"This is one of my favorite rooms in the whole castle," Miss Bessemer confided. "I found it only yesterday. It seems to change colors, which I think you might enjoy. I was going to have you stay in a room further down the hall from your brother, but I thought you might like this one better. I changed my mind not long ago, so all I have for you is a few dresses. I'll arrange for the room to be a bit more hospital tomorrow. Oh, and your bathroom is down the stairs, just opposite of the entrance of the hallway. I hope you don't mind."  
  
"Not at all," Hannah said.  
  
Miss Bessemer smiled at Hannah, and then said, "Well, I have a few other things to attend to. Like I said to your brother, a maid will be up in an hour or so to see to a few things." Hannah nodded, and she left.  
  
Hannah took this time to look around the room. She looked in the wardrobe, where the dresses had been hung. There wasn't a whole lot else to see. She was going to inspect the bathroom, but saw a bookshelf full of books.  
  
Back at home, Hannah and Drew lived by themselves. Their parents had died when Hannah was only an infant, and neither of them could remember what their family name was. Many people had offered to share their homes, but from the beginning, Drew had insisted that they could live on their own. Drew worked as an apprentice to a local warlock, which provided just enough money for the two to get by. While Drew was working, Hannah liked to go to the local library. They had all sorts of books there, but her favorite was history books. Of course, she tried to read all the different types of books, but she never came home without a history book or two. When she wasn't cooking for Drew, cleaning the house, doing something Drew was too lazy to do, or helping Drew with magic, she hid in her room, reading.  
  
Helping Drew with his magic wasn't very interesting. He didn't actually need help, but insisted that she was present, especially during he more complex spells. It was almost as if Drew needed her there to do the spell. Hannah wasn't one to defy her older brother, and was there when he asked for her. Once, she asked him why he wanted her there when he did spells. He got angry, and locked her in her room with a spell for a few days. He probably would have left her there until she begged his mercy, but he wasn't a very good cook.  
  
Looking through the bookshelf, Hannah was very disappointed to see that most of the books were about magic. She did manage to find one history book, though. She felt an odd tingling when she pulled the book out, but figured that the book was probably enchanted for one reason or another, and the tingling was a minor side effect of the spell.  
  
The book turned out to be The History of Chrestomanci Castle. Even after the first few pages, Hannah was very interested. It turned out to be a very old castle, and the book had lots of information about the building of the castle, info on the castle itself, and quite a lot on its past inhabitants.  
  
Because it was such a large and heavy book, Hannah had to take one of the pillows from the bed and put in on her lap. She rested the book on it while she began to read. It started, logically, with the history of Chrestomanci. It seems, that the government needed somebody to control all of the people with strong magic, or else those without magic wouldn't stand a chance. So, the created the position of Chrestomanci. He was the person with the strongest magic, and he also had to be a nine-life enchanter. It went on in great detail how in our world series, there were nine different worlds. Everybody has one duplicate in each world, except in rare cases. These people get nine lives, and the magic of nine people.  
  
Suddenly, the color of the pillow on Hannah's lap changed to a mild red color. Startled, she looked up and saw Chrestomanci himself. He looked to the bookshelf, and then to her, and yanked the book out of her hands.  
  
In this brief moment, Hannah remembered when she had first met Chrestomanci. It was a day only about a month or two ago when Drew insisted that he see a clairvoyant. He insisted that Hannah be present. She agreed, like she did to all his plans. When the clairvoyant went into her trance, a male voice spoke. It said, "This is quite a surprise. You can expect a change for the better this month."  
  
Later that month, Chrestomanci and his employees were travelling around the world to meet all of the registered witches and warlocks, and a few unregistered but promising people. He came to meet Drew at their house one night. Drew made sure that Hannah was nearby. When he spoke to Drew, Hannah knew for sure that it was the same person who had talked through the clairvoyant.  
  
Chrestomanci remarked that somebody with such strong magic was probably not getting a quality education. He thought that Drew would benefit from staying at Chrestomanci Castle with him. Drew accepted, and they both ended up at the creepy castle.  
  
Chrestomanci had a look of disbelief on his face. "You could have gotten yourself killed, Hannahlana. What in the world are you doing here?" he asked, in an irritated tone. This was something Hannah had heard from the village rumors. Chrestomanci had a way of not showing his emotions. The less he displayed, it was said, the more he felt. Hannah could tell that he was angry with her. In a bizarre way, this made her admire him. Anybody could get angry and have a tantrum, but it took a great person to stay calm.  
  
Although he was totally calm, this realization made Hannah very scared. When she first met him, he had a powerful air about him. But now, that power was against her, and she felt helpless. She managed to say, "Miss Bessemer said this was my room." Her voice was not very strong to begin with, and she had trailed off by the end of her sentence.  
  
"Your room was supposed to be down the hall from your brother, not here." He stopped, lost for the appropriate words. He looked at Hannah, who had dropped her head. He sighed. "Fine," he gave in; "you can stay in this room. But it is not suited for a girl to live in."  
  
He began summoning the furniture that was in the room down the hall. There was a dressing table, a chair, a chest-of-drawers, and all sorts of little things. Then, all the books in the bookshelf disappeared. Chrestomanci looked to Hannah. "What kind of books do you like?" he asked. He sounded tired; as though there were a thousand other things he would rather be doing, but tried to be polite about it.  
  
"Anything will do," she said. She hoped he would pick a few books and leave.  
  
Instead, he said, "That doesn't help me any. Try being a little more specific." She could tell that he was loosing his patience with her.  
  
"A little of everything, but a lot of history books." He seemed pleased, although she couldn't tell if this was because she answered his question, or if he approved of her interest in history. "But none of the kind that were on the shelves before." She knew he would understand, but she couldn't bring herself to say magic for some reason.  
  
"Good," Chrestomanci said. It was a nicer tone, which Hannah was relieved to hear. "Good because there will be no magic from you or your brother unless under the supervision of Mr. Saunders. And he won't be giving you lessons in magic for another year or so, depending on our level of trust with you."  
  
Books appeared on the shelf, filling the whole thing. "I shall see you at dinner tonight," Chrestomanci said. And with that, he left the room. Hannah had barely noticed that the room had changed to a deep red, and then to a yellowish color by the end. She walked over to the bookshelf, but wasn't in the mood for reading.  
  
She thought it was odd to not be in the mood for reading, so she explored the desk. It seemed as thought Chrestomanci had not touched it. She opened the top drawer, and to her surprise, she found that there was a lot of paper and blank books that someone had written it. She cautiously closed the drawer, and opened the next one down. She found a large stack of blank paper. Inside the drawer above the space for the chair was a lot of pencils, ink, and fountain pens. There were also a few quills, but Hannah saw that they had been used, and left them alone.  
  
She took out a bottle of ink and a pen. She filled the pen, and began writing on the paper  
  
My life at Chrestomanci Castle: Day 1 - Sunday  
  
Today had been a long day, and I have yet to reach dinner. It started with the usual: waking up at dawn to begin breakfast. As usual, I ate while cooking, and had everything ready as Drew was waking. He ate it without a word, so I took that time to imagine just what the castle would be like.  
  
Drew did not go off today, because the train was supposed to arrive at the station at noon. It was odd having him home at this time of day. It was also odd, because I had returned all of my books the day before. We sat in silence until about eleven. Drew decided that we should head to the station. He carried his trunk of magical stuff, and left me with my own trunk, and the trunk with his clothes.  
  
The train ride was long and boring. We talked a little, but Drew was in the mood to be left alone. A storm must be coming soon, because by the end of the ride, it had gotten very dark, and it still is. Anyway, at the train station, we met a man, who introduced himself as Mr. Saunders. He drove us to the castle.  
  
The housekeeper, Miss Bessemer, led Drew and I to our rooms. She took me up into a tower into a wonderful room. Everything is color coordinated, and it seems to change color. Right now, it is yellow, although earlier, it was more orangish.  
  
To start off on the right foot, I've already managed to anger Chrestomanci. He didn't like how my room had been switched at the last minute. I actually don't think that's it, but I cannot tell for sure. I think this room might have been his personal hiding place, or something, because he was surprised to see me.  
  
He was kind enough to let me stay, and moved the furniture, but I don't think he liked it. Before he entered, I was reading a book titled The History of Chrestomanci Castle, and managed to learn that Chrestomanci is a nine-life enchanter, the strongest person in the world, who keeps all the other people with strong magic in check, before he yanked the book out of my hands.  
  
He scares me now. I did find out that the rumors are true: He is a great person because he is able to control his anger. But now that I know what he can do, it gives me a scary feeling. Even if he does keep calm, I now fear that he may snap one day, and take it out on me.  
  
I also feel like I don't belong here. After all, it's Drew they want, not me. He's the warlock. I'm just his little sister, who got stuck coming along only because I can't take care of myself.  
  
The castle doesn't help. It's large and open, and yet it feels stuffy and suppressing. The only place I'm comfortable in so far is this room.  
  
I think I figured out why Chrestomanci was so mad to see me in here. I just figured it out. When he was taking stuff in and out of my room (with magic, of course), he didn't touch this desk. I think I forgot. After he left, I was looking around to see what was here, I opened a drawer. I saw a lot of papers and black books that somebody had written in. I suspect that it was Chrestomanci. It may be personal information, and he forgot about it in is anger.  
  
I didn't read it, of course. Not only would that be invading his privacy, but also I fear that he would get madder at me if I did. He would probably punish me, and if he reaches the point where he has to punish someone, he must be very mad. That means that his punishment will be very severe.  
  
I hear someone coming up the stairs. It is probably a maid, coming to sort out the smaller details. -Hannah  
  
Hannah quickly covered the paper she had been writing on with a blank sheet. There was a knock on the door. "Come in," she said. The door opened, and a maid walked in.  
  
"I'm Mary, a maid here at Chrestomanci Castle. I was just speaking to your brother. He said to tell you that he will wake up at eight, and lessons start at nine. He says that he still wants you to cook his breakfasts, but I think you may need to talk to the chefs about that. He also asked me to show you the way to the kitchens, and to where he will be fed, but I can do that later if you really want to cook for him."  
  
There was an odd sound. It took Hannah a minute to realize that it was a gong. Mary spoke. "That's the dressing gong. It's a half-hour warning for dinner, to tell you it's time to get dressed. That is the other reason I'm here. You'll need my help to get dressed. If you're wondering, Miss Bessemer plans to take you to get some more clothes on Wednesday. After then, you will be expected to look good at all times, and to look nicer at dinner. If there are guests, you probably will not eat with them, and just looking good is acceptable."  
  
Mary opened the wardrobe. She looked to Hannah and said, "You might want to start by taking down your hair." Hannah had her hair up in a bun, which was usual for her.  
  
"Oh, no. I couldn't do that," Hannah said.  
  
Mary thought this was very odd. "Why not?"  
  
"Drew doesn't like it. He gets mad if I put my hair down." Mary sighed. "I don't care what your brother thinks. You're having dinner with the family, and this is your first impression. You have to look nice."  
  
"Oh, you want me to wear one of those dresses in there?" Hannah pointed to the wardrobe.  
  
"Well, what did you think? You're certainly not going to dinner in what you have on now." Hannah looked at her dress. It was her best one, but it was just a plain blue, with nothing fancy about it.  
  
"Those are too fancy. Drew doesn't like it when I dress up all fancy like." Hannah looked to the ground. She hated to be so recalcitrant, but she didn't want to face the wrath of her brother. If he got angry, he was not one to be calm about it.  
  
"I don't care what your brother thinks. He seems very demanding. Who could possibly live up to his standards." Mary sighed. It seemed that Hannah would never give in. "What would Millie say about your appearance?"  
  
Then, as if right on cue, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Mary said. A plump lady entered. She was wearing a nice dress, complete with lace and everything.  
  
"Hello there, Hannahlana," she said. "I'm Chrestmanci's wife, but you can call me Millie."  
  
Hannah was going to say something back, but Mary took over. "It seems we have a bit of a problem here, Millie. "She refuses to put on a nice dress or take down her hair."  
  
Millie smiled. "Why don't you let me take care of this one?" Mary nodded and left the room, closing the door carefully behind her.  
  
Millie sat down on the bed, and motioned for Hannah to do the same. "Now, what seems to be the problem?"  
  
Hannah told her exactly what she had told Mary. Millie laughed. "Is that all? That's no problem." Hannah was upset by Millie's lack of concern for Drew's feelings, but said nothing.  
  
"I know exactly what's going on," Millie said, confident that the solution was simple. "I know that for a long time, it has been just you and your brother. You are your brother's only family. When you let down your hair, or look your best, it reminds him that you are becoming a lady. He's afraid that one day, you will get married and leave him all on his own.  
  
"That's really no problem. Your brother will most likely be staying here for a long time. We can find a nice young man for you to marry. We'll even try to find one in the village here. You won't be far away, and you can come visit all the time. You might even live in the castle. As for your brother, we'll see to it that he finds a nice young lady of his own."  
  
Millie saw that this did not ease Hannah at all. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll see if I can get my husband to talk to him about it." It didn't, but Hannah wasn't going to say anything. She wasn't in the mood for talking. She gave in and let Millie take her hair down, and after a nice bath, let Millie dress her in a dress Drew would never approve of.  
  
Millie left, but Mary soon returned to take Hannah and Drew to dinner. Drew gave Hannah a mean stare, but said nothing. They went to the drawing room, where everybody was waiting for dinner to be announced. Hannah thought that there were a lot of people, but it was a castle, after all. Chrestomanci saw them and came over with Millie, a boy, and a girl. The children appeared to be about Hannah's age.  
  
"Hello, Andreweli, Hannahlana," Chrestomanci said. He sounded excited when he said Drew's name, but said Hannah's with more of an "Oh, it's you," tone. "Please, just call me Drew," Drew said. After meeting him in her room, Hannah didn't have the courage to say the same.  
  
Chrestomanci nodded, and continued. "This is my wife," he said, gesturing towards Millie. "Hello, Drew," Millie beamed. She was looking directly at him. "You can just call me Millie." She never took her eyes off Drew. "And these are Julia and Robert, our children." Again, she was talking to Drew  
  
"Julia and Robert, this is Drew," Millie said. Hannah was stunned. It was as if she was invisible. Everybody seemed to be ignoring her. Maybe, it was Chrestomanci's secret punishment for how she had acted earlier. To keep her feelings from being hurt, Hannah decided that this must be the case.  
  
It was not as if Hannah had never been ignored before. In fact, she was ignored most of the time. People would talk about her as if she wasn't there. To everybody else, Drew was the important one. He was the one with really strong magic. She was just his little sister, with no magic to speak of. She used to think of herself as his little shadow, because she always followed him. Now, that's all she felt; it was as if she was only a shadow. Hannah had hoped that life at the castle would be different, that people would notice her. But, deep down, she knew that this was not the case.  
  
"How do you do?" Julia and Robert asked in perfect rhythm. Hannah could tell that they must have said the same thing over a thousand times, practicing so that they could sound like they meant it.  
  
Drew smiled and said, "Fine. How do you do?" He didn't bother introducing his little sister. He could care less about her, just like everyone else. He just needed her for minor details, and so he didn't have to do any real work.  
  
Julia and Roger answered the same as Drew. Hannah said nothing, because she had nothing to say, nothing she wanted to say, and nothing she could say in because of Chrestomanci's presence. Fortunately for the three of them, dinner was called, and nobody had to come up with something else to say.  
  
Hannah had hoped for a seat next to Drew at dinner, but he was ignoring her. She ended up sitting down by a short man. Despite his short stature, he had a very loud voice. She could tell that at the other end, where Chrestomanci and Mr. Saunders sat, they were talking about art and statues. The short man was talking about stocks and shares.  
  
Hannah ate her meal in silence, listening to the short man. He seemed to be a financial wizard. Everything he talked about was the economy, and the stock market. He was constantly advising the people around him what to do with their money. Hannah listened intently because, although she never had any money of her own, she would have a good idea what to do with it if she ever did. It was also something to learn. Hannah enjoyed learning. She also privately hoped that if she learned enough, she might be able to join in the conversation some day.  
  
Drew, who was on the other end, seemed to be getting in with the conversation. He looked like he had a lot to say, and everyone listened. The only people who didn't seem to be ignoring her were the footmen. They brought the meal out on silver trays and held them over your shoulder for you to serve yourself. As for the meal itself, Hannah hardly touched it. She wasn't very hungry, and rarely ate in front of other people. She was fairly confident that the only people who would notice was whoever cleared the table after dinner, and the only one who cared, was the chef.  
  
After dinner, Hannah went back up to her room. She went to her window. It had drapes, but they were to the side right now. The window was actually a place where they had cut away from the wall. It was two feet up from the ground, three feet wide, and five feet tall. It also revealed that the wall was about three feet thick. The window had black framing that divided each side into little squares, and could open up like shutters. There was a little black latch that didn't look like it would do much good, but Hannah thought that it was probably enchanted to hold very firmly. Hannah sat in the window space and stared out the window, which seemed to be tinted a very merry violet, which the rest of the room happened to be.  
  
After a half an hour of doing nothing but staring at the wonderful landscaping outside, a maid came. It was Mary, who had come to show Hannah to the kitchens. Although the head chef would not let Hannah cook breakfast for Drew, he asked Mary to tell him that if he wanted something special, he only had to say so. Mary said that she had other things to do, and asked Hannah to deliver the message.  
  
Hannah didn't want to tell this to Drew, but had no choice. So, there she was, knocking on Drew's door to tell his something he didn't want to hear, in a dress he didn't want to see her in, with her hair down. Drew opened the door and frowned. He stepped aside, a sign that she should enter the room. When she had, he closed the door, and locked it. Then, "What in the world do you think you're doing?" he asked. Hannah could tell that he was mad.  
  
"I-I.The maid told me to. She said I needed to look good for dinner. You know, my first impression." Hannah knew that he wouldn't accept that, but it was worth a try.  
  
"If the maid told you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?" Drew didn't wait for her to answer. "What do you care about first impressions? Or what anybody in this whole castle thinks? I thought you knew that the only reason you're here is because you're my little sister, and you can't take care of yourself.  
  
"Nobody in this castle really cares about you, except me. The master of this house, you know who he is, he's a really powerful enchanter, if you didn't already know. He's got a lot to do, and could care less about some girl who can't do magic. I'm here because I'm probably going to be his replacement when he gets old. He's got reason to care about me.  
  
"The family has strong magic, too. Sometimes it runs in the family. They too, could really care less about you. The workers are nothing but servants, and everyone else is not important. So you have no reason to ever 'impress someone.'" Drew tossed her a rubber band. "Put your hair up," he said.  
  
Hannah pulled her hair into a rough bun. She could have done a neater job, but she wanted to please her brother, and made it messy on purpose.  
  
"Are you still wearing your necklace?" Drew asked. He was referring to a necklace that Drew had given to Hannah when they were young, saying that it was one of the few things of their parents that had survived. It used to belong to their mother. It was a gold band with a crystal pendant. Inside the crystal was a rose petal, which made the crystal seem red.  
  
Hannah nodded. It was another of Drew's rules about her appearance that she was to never take the necklace off. It must have been enchanted at some point, because it never got dirty, and water didn't affect it at all. It was actually very pretty, and Millie hadn't said anything about it while she was dressing Hannah. To prove she was still wearing it, she pulled it out from underneath her dress.  
  
Drew smiled, but it quickly changed to a frown. "Put that back under your dress. Like I told you before, if anybody sees that, they'll take it away from you. And you don't want it taken away, do you?" Hannah nodded, and put it back. She wasn't going to say anything about how Millie had dressed her. She probably had other things on her mind, and didn't see it. She would have to be more careful with the servants in the future. Hannah knew that she would have to tell Drew about breakfast. "Drew, I, uh, went to the kitchens just before I came to see you. They said that I can't make you breakfast, but if you want something different than what's being served, all you have to do is tell someone, like a maid, what you want."  
  
At first, the message angered Drew. But when he began to understand it fully, he was happy. "That's good. The cooks here are much better than you." This really lightened his mood. Hannah was sure of this when he went and unlocked his door. Sitting back down on his bed, he said, "Does this place feel odd to you?"  
  
Hannah didn't understand, so he went on. "It's weird. It feels stuffy, and heavy. Like the air is trying to choke me." He sighed. "Of course you wouldn't feel it. Not like me, anyway. It seems to bog down people with magic, although I suspect that it is strong enough for even you to feel it."  
  
Before Hannah could reply to the odd remark, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Drew called from the bed. The door opened, and Chrestomanci walked in. He smiled at Drew, but stopped when he saw Hannah.  
  
"Drew, I hope you've had a good evening so far." Drew nodded, and Chrestomanci went on. "I would like to have a word with you." He paused, and nobody moved.  
  
Chrestomanci turned to Hannah and said, "Alone." Hannah got up and left without a word, closing the door behind her. Hannah walked silently, and managed to hold all her emotions in until she reached her room. Then, after she closed her door, and locked it, she burst into tears. She flopped down onto her bed and sobbed into a dull grey pillow. She cried until no more tears would fall, and she wiped her face on her quilt.  
  
Then, she walked over to the desk and uncovered the paper she had been writing on. She skipped a space, and began writing again.  
  
A little after dinner - Still Sunday  
  
I don't know how long I'll be staying here, but I hope it's not very. I don't belong here. The maid tried to make me wear fancy clothes, and so did Chrestomanci's wife, Millie. She acted all nice, but when we were waiting in the drawing room for dinner, she ignored me.  
  
Chrestomanci was introducing Drew and I to the family, and he said Drew's name very happy, almost excited. But, he said my name like I was a rat, or something. Not only that, but Millie ignored me. She talked only to Drew, and didn't mention me when introducing us (or really, Drew) to their children, Julia and Robert.  
  
They're not any better. Although, I suppose they can't help it, if they take after their parents. I don't know where to turn to now. At home, I could always go to the library and stay there for a while. There were also piano lessons. I liked those. It was one of the few things I felt comfortable doing.  
  
But now, I'm in a creepy castle where nobody cares, and there's nowhere for me to turn. Sure, there are books here. Even a bunch in my room. But it's not the same anymore. I wish there were a place I could go. Somewhere where I could go, and nobody could find me.  
  
That would be nowhere. I think the whole castle's got enchantments on it, so there's nowhere I can hide. I bet they don't even have a piano here. It seems like everybody is far too busy to have time to learn how to play.  
  
I just don't understand why everybody ignores me. Sure, I know the whole reason I'm here is because of Drew, and he will undoubtedly get a lot of attention, but that's no reason to ignore me. I could run away, and nobody would notice. Well, maybe Drew, but he's another story.  
  
It's not like I'm asking to be fawned over, or waited on hand and foot. I'd just like to be acknowledged, and feel like somebody actually cares about me. Like if I disappeared, they might miss me. Something. Anything. This is only my first day here, and I've already cried myself dry.  
  
That was from after dinner. I was in Drew's room, after upsetting him because I had to take my hair down and wear a fairly nice dress to dinner, and tell him that I'm not allowed to cook him breakfast.  
  
But then, Chrestomanci comes in and says he wants to talk to Drew. I sit there, wondering if he'll even say "Hello" to me. Then, he turns to me and says, "Alone," as though I'm stupid or something. But it was more than that. It was as if he was saying to me, "I can't stand to see you, get out of here."  
  
From that word alone, I got this terrible feeling that I wasn't wanted there, or anywhere. I somehow managed to make it out of Drew's room, and even to go all the way to my room before I burst into tears.  
  
I can't even call it my room. My run-in with Chrestomanci before dinner makes me feel even less welcome, especially in this room. He doesn't want me in his castle, and he especially doesn't want me in this room. I have nowhere to run to.  
  
I just don't understand why.  
  
-Hannah  
  
Hannah put her papers in order, and covered it up with a blank paper. She put the pen away, and changed into a nightgown. She closed her curtains, turned out the lights, and got into the bed. If she had any tears left, she would have cried herself to sleep. 


	3. A New Life Begins

A/N - The first chapter was EXTREMELY long! I don't think I'll be writing another chapter that long for a while. I'm sorry if it takes me a while to update this story (or any of them) because of school right now. Also, as you may or may not have noticed, I have several stories in progress. I get all these ideas in my head, and then I like to put them down and then put them on the web. However, because I have so many good ideas, my time must be split, and what story I work on can depend on what mood I'm in. Now, if you're tired of me blabbing on up here, I'll shut up so that you can read the chapter.  
  
Chapter Two - A New Life Begins  
  
The next morning, Hannah was awoken by somebody calling her name. "Hannahlana, Hannahlana, wake up," the voice said. Hannah opened her eyes, and saw a maid. "I'm Euphemia," she introduced herself. "Either Mary or I will wake you up by eight, if you're not already up. Regardless, someone will come at eight to get your bath, or shower, ready. We will also stay to help you get dressed." She looked in the wardrobe for a moment, "once you get some better clothes."  
  
"So, which do you prefer?" Euphemia asked. "Bath, or shower?"  
  
After a warm shower, Hannah dressed, and Euphemia took her where breakfast would be served. It was an old room that was not kept up well. The cupboards, which did not shut properly, seemed to hold old toys. There were a lot of big windows, but the furniture was battered, and the carpet was stained.  
  
Mary was already there, along with Julia and Roger. Mary opened the cupboard closest to the fireplace. There was an odd lift system, and she brought out a tray full of bread and butter, and a jug of cocoa. Euphemia took the tray and gave each person their first piece of bread and some butter, while Mary poured three glasses of cocoa.  
  
Before the three children had time to say anything to each other, Drew came in. Mary went to the lift again, and up came a steaming plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Mary placed it in front of Drew, who began eating at once. Julia and Roger followed.  
  
Hannah, who was quite hungry after not eating much the night before, was still unsure about eating in front of other people. She was keenly aware of how some people watched other's eating habits like a hawk, and was afraid of this. She knew it was silly, and that everyone would probably ignore her, but she couldn't help it.  
  
Chrestomanci walked in, all dressed up. Hannah decided that he always wore fancy clothes. She was starting to wonder what he wore when there were guests for dinner. "Good morning, children," he said.  
  
"Good morning, Father," Julia and Roger said in unison. Hannah figured that this was another saying they practiced.  
  
"Good morning, Drew," Chrestomanci said, smiling.  
  
"Good morning, Sir," Drew said, smiling as well.  
  
Hannah sat in silence, wondering if she was going to be acknowledged or not. It was obvious she was not, when Chrestomanci went on. "As you may or may not know, today lessons will resume. They will, Drew, occur at nine o-clock sharp with Mr. Saunders in the room on the other side of that door." He pointed to a door on the other side of the room. "I hope you have a good day," he said, and then left the room.  
  
Hannah guessed that it was about eight thirty, and began secretly putting her bread, unbuttered, onto her napkin, which was on her lap. She then got up and left the room, hiding the napkin. She made a mental not to bring a safety pin to her meals, and went to her room. She ate her plain bread alone, and decided that she would bring the napkin with her when she went back for lessons.  
  
At about ten to nine, Hannah headed back to the room with the napkin. She took her time, admiring the castle as she went. By the time she got there, even Drew, who had always been a slow eater, was finished. She sat back down at her seat and placed her napkin on the table.  
  
It was only a few minutes before Mr. Saunders came in through the other door and announced that it was time for lessons. They entered the room, which was really just a plain classroom with four desks. The front two looked like they were old and someone had attempted to make them look new. The back two were in relatively good shape.  
  
Julia and Roger sat in the front two. Hannah sat behind Julia and Drew sat behind Roger. Hannah realized that Julia and Roger were both about her age. Mr. Saunders gave each of them a math workbook, a blank book, some blank paper, a fountain pen, a jar of ink, and a stack of textbooks. "This is yours," he said in a confident voice. "If you lose it, too bad. The only thing you can get more of is ink, and paper."  
  
He looked at the four of them, and nobody protested. "All right, then. We shall begin with a review." He then began asking questions and randomly picking on someone to answer. Although he picked mostly the other three, he occasionally did ask Hannah. She was so used to being ignored that she didn't hear the question. Instead of having the shame of asking him to repeat it, she simply said she didn't know.  
  
This was a new idea to Hannah. In her school back at home, there were enough students willing to answer the questions that she almost never had to answer a question. She decided that maybe it would be okay to lie and sometimes say she didn't know the answer, or get it wrong on purpose. As Mr. Saunders continued to ask questions, Hannah got about one out of every five right. As for the other four, half were incorrect answers, and the rest was saying that she didn't know.  
  
Hannah knew that Drew didn't know a whole lot, unless it was about magic. But he did know a few things. She planned it so that it looked like he knew more than she did. She knew that this was not really the case. After one brutal hour of questions, Mr. Saunders assigned them individual tasks. Julia was working out of her math workbook, Roger was answering questions out of a textbook, Drew was reading a story in his English textbook, and Hannah was supposed to write an essay about whether or not the ancient Greek government is similar to the current-day government.  
  
She was about to start writing, when she realized that to keep up her image, she would have to take out her History textbook and read about ancient Greek government. She would probably have to read about the current government, too. She thought a moment, and then put her name of the paper. She then read about the ancient Greek government, and the current government.  
  
Figuring that she should get on with it, she began an introductory paragraph. It didn't lead into the essay very well, and her thesis was weak, but those were on purpose. She then wrote one paragraph about the ancient Greek government. She did a lot a listing, and copied a few things right out of the book, and didn't explain the significance of most things. She did the same thing in her next paragraph about the current government.  
  
Her fourth paragraph was about the similarities between the two. It wasn't an extremely hard essay. What she wrote wasn't that bad, although she didn't say how anything supported her thesis. She then went for the ultimate no-no. Her last paragraph was about the differences. That meant that she didn't take a position. She would never have done it under normal circumstances, but an inexperienced essay writer might. It also meant that she didn't have a conclusion, another no-no.  
  
When Hannah finished, Mr. Saunders was looking at Julia's work. She knew better than to disturb him. Instead, she put her pen and ink away, and stared at her desk. She wanted to read her History book, but knew that if she wanted to keep up her image, she could not.  
  
When Mr. Saunders finished with Julia, he saw that Hannah wasn't doing anything. He sighed, and picked up her essay. "Open your math workbook and start on page one," he instructed. Hannah did so. She saw that is was all two-digit addition. She figured that almost anybody would get them right. So, she answered honestly, but made the marks for carrying digits, even thought she didn't need to.  
  
It didn't take Mr. Saunders long to grade her essay. He finished, and then sat at his desk. He pulled out a bottle of red ink and a pen, and began writing comments. It didn't take him long to do that, either. He put a few notes, which Hannah figured were short and to the point. She didn't expect him to waste his time with her.  
  
He opened a drawer, and pulled out a workbook. He then stood up, brought her essay back, and said in a quiet voice, "Your essay needs help." He handed her the book. It was Workbook for Good Essay Writing. "Do one section a week. I will collect it every Monday."  
  
He then went up to the front of the class. In a louder voice, he said, "Because I am unsure of what level you are all at, tomorrow I shall test you in each of the subjects. With the exception of the review, this may be a sample of a typical day." He paused, and looked at the clock. It was just then that Hannah realized it was already eleven o-clock. Writing a bad essay was hard work.  
  
"Drew, you may be excused at this time, until lunch. It is at this time that Julia and Roger receive witchcraft lessons. I'm sorry that you are not allowed to participate, but Chrestomanci said that the two of you are not allowed to take witchcraft lessons. He may reconsider in a year or two, depending on his level of trust."  
  
Drew got up to leave, disappointed that he would have to put off magic. It wasn't until he was about to start with Julia and Roger that Mr. Saunders noticed that Hannah was still there. "The same goes for you, Hannahlana," he said, as thought she was either stupid, or recalcitrant. Hannah figured it was both. "Get out," he said sternly.  
  
Hannah didn't need to be told twice. She saw that Drew had left all his stuff under his desk, so she did the same. The only thing she took was her essay workbook. When she got out of the room, it was obvious that Drew wanted nothing to do with her; he was already down the hall and almost out of sight.  
  
Hannah, knowing that there was no point in following him, headed off in the other direction. She wandered, having no real idea of where she was. She did make sure to remember which way she went so that she could retrace her steps. Although she was trying to keep her manners and stay out of all the rooms she saw, one open door got the best of her.  
  
The room was dark, despite the windows. Hannah figured it was yet another enchantment on the castle. There were comfortable-looking blankets and a couch and even a bed. However, the room didn't seem to be set up for a human. It was then that Hannah noticed something ginger laying on the bed.  
  
It was a cat, which seemed to be sleeping. Yet, it picked up it's head and looked at Hannah as she approached. Hannah had a feeling that the cat was inspecting her, although she dismissed the thought. After all, cats didn't inspect people.  
  
Hannah sat down on the bed, next to the cat. "Hello there little kitty," she said. She had always liked animals. They never seemed to care whether people had magic or not. She gently put a hand out to pet the cat. In response, it stretched out its head and exposed its next. Taking this as an invitation, Hannah stroked the cat's neck.  
  
The cat began to purr, and stretched out a little more. Then, feeling very content, the cat rolled over, exposing its belly. Cautiously, Hannah moved her hand down to rub the cat's belly. It didn't object, save for purring louder. After a few minutes, Hannah's arm grew tired. She simply let it rest on the cat for a minute.  
  
Becoming bored, Hannah stood up. For a moment, she felt dizzy, but after that, she just felt tired. Dismissing it as nothing more than the sleepyness of the cat rubbing off on her, she left the room. Behind her, she heard a faint "Wong."  
  
A/N - It's me again. I think this is a better length for this chapter, and for chapters to come. What I put in the first chapter was illogical; no chapter should have that many ideas crammed into it. As a reader, please be patient with my story. Some of the problems or mysteries of this story are obvious, while other are more subtle. But fear not, everything will be revealed in time, and eventually solved. I have two endings in mind, and I'm not sure which one I will put up. Maybe I will put them both up. That would be difficult, because they would have totally different lead in's. I'll think about it. Until my next chapter.  
  
Special Thanks - Where I thank those who have reviewed my story so far.  
  
Well, um, thanks goes out to Kookle Wrenford, then only person (except for my sister) who has reviewed my story so far.  
  
I'm hoping that I can get more readers soon, because I'd hate to write this story but have only a few people read it. 


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